- Can you, yes YOU, become a potent inspirational force for others?
- Is it possible to develop the gift of the gab?
- Is there an opportunity that empowers you to reach and enrich others as you share your gift and talent?
With solid public speaking techniques, you most certainly can!
Introduction of Public Speaking Techniques:
Public speaking techniques are a powerful asset to any individual. It provides us with an opportunity to leave a deep and lasting impact on others. And yet, this is one opportunity most people shirk, as they are terrified of expressing themselves in front of an audience!
Fortunately, this is also one skill that is not difficult to develop.
In this post, we walk you through 8 supremely effective tips to hone your public speaking techniques. If you can be willing to patiently and persistently work through the ideas listed below, you’ll find yourself rousing crowds with your powerful speeches in no time!
Public Speaking Techniques:
Below are some public speaking techniques listed which will improve your public speaking skills.
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Just jump in
Here’s our first (potentially shocking) suggestion: sign up for the first public speaking opportunities you come across! It may be a week or even a few days from now; just do it!
You’re possibly thinking, “What! But I’m terrible at it… And I truly am terrified of it…. Heck, I’m not even prepared… I don’t think there’s enough time… I can’t afford to muddle it up… I could make a spectacle of myself… I could lose my job…”
Do you see what is happening here?
Our mind has the potential to come up with dozens – no, millions of excuses to justify our procrastination. And if we continue to listen to it, we’ll never get started! Act NOW and sign up for the next opportunity to speak in public. This need not be an elaborate affair; a team meeting at work, a casual presentation to junior colleagues or even a 10-minute speech at your apartment union will do just fine. Just Jump In!
Once you’re committed and find that you HAVE to deliver a speech soon, you’ll be amazed to see that your public speaking techniques take a dramatic turn on the upswing.
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Well begun is indeed half done
Now that you’ve committed yourself, the next step is to focus on the first 3 minutes of your speech. Yes, that is your only immediate concern.
You see, you either engage or lose the audience in the first 3 minutes. This is the “moment of truth” that determines how successful your first stint at public speaking techniques will be. So find a way to powerfully “hook” the audience right after you step on stage.
You could,
- Start with a potent one-liner.
- Share a rib-tickling joke.
- State some (possibly shocking) statistics.
- Make an outrageous (but decent) gesture.
- Play an attention-grabbing audio-visual.
And there lies your key: use these 3 minutes to grab the audience attention, so they stay riveted for the rest of the speech.
If they decide that your speech is “worth it” those precious few minutes, you can rest assured that they will stick with you for the rest of your presentation.
Note: Whatever you do, don’t apologize or stutter or lose the plot those crucial first few minutes. If you’re caught by surprise (like the A/V stops working or the mikes sounding like a hyena or worse, your papers start flying), wing it by cracking a joke or two so the audience believes you have it all figured out.
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Say ‘Hello’ with expressive eyes
You’ve got that great start figured out (You *think*). You walk into a room with your head held high, step on to the stage and see 200 unknown, unsmiling faces looking back at you, as they wait for precious pearls of wisdom to drop from your mouth. At that exact moment, the butterflies in your stomach transform to monster-sized raccoons and run wild. Your throat is dry, you’ve forgotten your opening line, and you can actually hear your own heartbeat – oh wait, was that thunder in your head?
Scary stuff!!
There! We’ve laid out your worst public speaking nightmare. This image is what puts most people off public speaking opportunities!
There’s good news. You can beat even this utterly terrifying scene, by simply meeting their eyes.
Greet your audience as you say ‘Hello’ with expressive eyes. Turn right and express “Hey there”; turn left, “Hello to you too”. Reach out to the person in the last row and greet him with your eyes. Come back to the front row and repeat. Greet every corner of your audience with friendly, smiling eyes.
You may wonder what the big deal is here: you’re only making eye contact. Right?
Wrong!
You haven’t spoken a word yet, but you’ve said a lot with your eyes.
- I’m glad to make your acquaintance.
- I appreciate you being here, thank you.
- I’m here to talk to YOU. (And you, and you too.)
- I respect your presence and your time.
This profound exercise should take no more than 20 seconds (anything more is you dawdling) but can create a sense of camaraderie with your audience. You’ve heard the old adage on our eyes being the luminous window to our soul; so use this powerful tool to connect and make friends with your audience. This will set the stage for a harmonious session.
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Practice before a mirror
This is an extension of the above exercise, where you say ‘Hello’ to YOUR eyes.
(Believe us, this is even scarier stuff, more terrifying than those monster racoons!)
Think about it, you have ample opportunities to meet your eyes in the mirror: when you wash your hands, comb your hair, style yourself, etc. And yet, how often do you really make sustained eye contact with yourself?
Almost never!
In fact, we go to great lengths to avoid looking ourselves in the eye as we resist what we could see there: anxiety, worry, fear, anger, trepidation, confusion…
Here’s a secret from public speaking techniques warriors: If you want to face others with confidence, you have to first face yourself with confidence.
You can do this by practicing before a mirror. In fact, try this exercise right now to test its power. Take a few minutes off to find a mirror, and look yourself in the eye for a good 5 minutes. Just gaze at it as you breathe in and out. You will come back feeling a lot more centered.
There’s another good reason to practice before the mirror: to review your visual ‘game film’. Much like how athletes review their game film to understand what they’re doing wrong, practicing before a mirror alerts you to any unusual body language movements you make out of habit (like twitching your nose or guffawing loudly or snorting mid-laugh). You now have the awareness to fix this, so you feel confident even as you present.
When YOU are truly convinced that you look and sound okay, you will reflect this conviction while presenting to others.
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Become a Ninja with your material
So far, we’ve been working on the first 3 minutes of your talk. Now, it’s time to get the rest of your material in place.
We’re not going to ask you to become an expert on your material (you’ll wait until eternity). But we will ask you to become a Ninja with what you have.
A public speaking techniques Ninja:
- Is darn good at what he does know. Be passionate about what you speak!
- Also knows what he doesn’t know (and stays “safe” with it).
- Understands his audience well, and pitches his speech for (For e.g. he’s unlikely to use too much jargon at a beginner’s club).
- Uses the 3 E’s to strengthen his public speaking techniques and connect with his audience:
- Engages them so they participate. (You can throw in a fun trivia-quiz, ask for their opinion mid-way, call someone by name, etc.)
- Entertains them so their attention stays on him. (Personal anecdotes and crazily funny stories are a good way to do this.)
- Enlightens them so they come back for more. (Always share something extra, so they leave enriched.)
- Knows how to deal with an opponent (that pesky audience member who asks scary questions).
- Can get back on his feet after dealing with the opponent. (Hint: Subtly turn attention away from a scary question. Gracefully accept you don’t know, crack a joke and move on.)
- Keeps the show running with a smile, no matter what happens!
The trick to achieving this is to have a handy stream of positive distractions ready: jokes, stories, inspirational quotes, personal anecdotes and they’re like. They can help you pace your session.
You see, public speaking basics are not just about your expertise on the main topic; the way you engage your audience off the topic also matters. Training to be a public speaking techniques Ninja (as advised above) empowers you to play this right.
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Invite friends to your speech
Let us give you the straight truth here: you are unlikely to deliver a Mark Antony speech with your first few attempts (unless you ARE Mark Antony reincarnated!)
Hence it’s worthwhile inviting friends over for the first couple of times. They could help you:
- Find familiar, smiling faces in the audience. (What a relief!)
- Provide subtle cues if you get stuck mid-way.
- Observe your tone, body language, and delivery, and give you constructive feedback.
Most importantly, friends who’ve been a part of your public speaking basics journey can also celebrate with you as you transform from a newbie to a seasoned maestro.
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Emulate to Inspire
We’re going to quote the very deep Confucius here (a strong speaker himself):
“By 3 methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is bitterest.”
Emulation is an easy way to learn from great minds. If you’re truly passionate about public speaking basics, find yourself some real-life heroes. Perhaps you’re drawn to the flamboyance of Richard Branson, or the towering presence of Tony Robbins, or the warmth of Wayne Dyer, or the quiet strength and humour of Nick Vujicic – each can inspire you with varied energies.
Watch videos of their talks to learn how they own every stage. Intensely listen to their audios so you catch how they subtly vary their tone, voice modulation, and pace. Contemplate what makes the audience – people like you – love, respect and admire them every single time.
Heck, you could take this a step further and follow multiple heroes. Become a disciple of great public speaking basics. You will learn to cleverly combine several winning facets, to build your own unique brand presence.
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Respect boundaries
If your tryst with public speaking techniques is on a professional platform, chances are you’ll have some guidelines to adapt: a format for your speech, the timeline, dress-code, etc. Respect these boundaries so they feel comfortable to invite you again.
Here’s a simple routine that enables you to do this.
- Get on stage at least a half-hour early. This gives you ample time to check that the stage is set right, fix any issues and ensure there are no untoward surprises.
- Circulate to your audience before and after your speech. You will get surprising insights that can better your speech.
- Don’t drink yourself to a full bladder before your speech and upset your routine. If possible, center yourself with a 2-minute stint in front of a mirror, a little before you start public speaking basics. (You can carry a compact mirror to make this easier.)
- Start and finish on time no matter what happens. Period.
- Thank your host and audience once you’re done.
Like any skill, public speaking techniques to take (some) practice. Give yourself time and opportunities to have this. Quoting Confucius again, “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop”. Your public speaking basics journey stands guaranteed for unconditional success, as long as you have the resilience to last until that happens.
Finally (and this is an important tip), enjoy your speech yourself as much as you want the audience too. Positive thinking and all that!
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